Monthly Archives: February 2016

It doesn’t happen very often but yesterday there was something very exciting in the mail. It was a letter from Jesse Campbell, Director/Curator at the Mann Art Gallery in Prince Albert, SK saying that they have purchased this piece (‘Welcome’) for their permanent collection! I am honoured and thrilled!

As background, it is Winter Festival in Prince Albert and as part of that the Gallery has a member’s show and sale. All gallery members are invited to submit two pieces to the show so that is how this came to be there. There are many, many amazing and varied artists with work in this show so please take the time to check it out. It is up until April 2, 2016. Details can be found on the Mann Art Gallery website.

About ‘Welcome’

In 2008 we were in Bath, UK. The weather was great and we had been exploring. I remember a little shop where we watched a glass blower create beautiful pieces of art. Glass blowing is magical and mysterious…and makes the room very hot.

Shortly after we came across this sign and a very welcoming building.

The building is the Walcot Chapel and it was built in the late 1700’s. I loved the welcoming feel of the space, the people and the history. What stuck with me was again magical as the artist’s ‘circular art’ explored deep inner emotion in a colourful, mesmerizing show.

In this, the city of bridges, we are remembering and letting go of a bridge that has been part of our identity since 1907. It was the first vehicle bridge and replaced the ferry service for connecting what were then Saskatoon, Nutana and Riversdale.

It is fondly (?) remembered by many of us as the first test of our driving skills as it seemed that all new drivers were taken across it on their very first drive. It was extremely narrow so once you made it safely across your confidence was bound to have improved. Since 2010 it has been closed to traffic and it is now being taken down to make way for a new one.

The taking down process has brought people together this winter as they came to watch the demolition. You can watch the crowds, and the explosion from the removal of two of the spans in this time-lapse taken by our son Derek (Electric Umbrella).